Immaculate Consumption serves Cola Capital

Call it “River City”, because it’s located at the confluence of three rivers (Broad, Saluda, and Congaree), “Cola” or even “Soda City” (no relation to soft drinks), South Carolina’s capital city of Columbia is succeeding at revitalization.

The capital complex and building, inside and out, are beautiful. PIC and I strolled the grounds, enjoying sculptures and flowers (blooming in winter).
Backside of the capital

My favorite piece by far, completely amazing in person, is the two-winged history of African-American History Monument. If you’re anywhere near Columbia, you must go see this.

Just outside the Capital Complex, at 933 South Main Street, is IMMAC, otherwise known as Immaculate Consumption. Mostly known by word of mouth, it serves politicians, lawmakers, business people working nearby, and USC students. They do not have a website and finding their not-recently-updated Facebook or Twitter pages is next to impossible.

Somewhere in IMMAC’s over 20 year history, someone had the bright idea to cut church pews in half and use them for seating.

Colorful and just a bit funky inside, it’s a perfect place for breakfast, lunch or a snack & drink. Free Wi-Fi also makes it perfect for getting a little work done while sipping some house-roasted coffee.

We stopped in for lunch after taking in the capital. PIC’s Tuna Melt was made with Albacore mixed with yogurt and dill, sandwiched between melted Provolone and greens on Sourdough Bread. He chose a pasta salad as his side. The sandwich, salad and gherkins were all good. Didn’t notice the weird shadow on the bread when taking the shot. Nothing was wrong with the bread.

My pick was their Veggie & Brie Sandwich served on my choice of bread: Kaiser Roll. Chips and gherkins kept this delicious creation company on the plate. Served warm, the Brie was softened enough that the veggies sunk in a bit, staying in place on the roll for easier eating.

I failed to note prices, but most sandwiches are in the $7 to $8 range.

Did you notice the door to the right in the first interior shot above?

Through the door, down a flight of wooden stairs, you step into an excellent space with more seating and IMMAC’s coffee bean roasting operation in the back.

High-tech mass packaging was taking place at the time. Really more like hand-packaged by a friendly guy and his scale. The roaster (not pictured) is just to his right. Bags of roasted beans are available for purchase by the counter upstairs.

The shot below was taken from the far end of the room, looking back toward the stairs (just out of view to the left). This is where I’d meet friends for coffee.

Epicurean Note: We were in Columbia at the invitation of two gorgeous spirits, Debi Schadel & Tracie Broom and their Intern/Assistant, Mikelle Street (also a gorgeous spirit). Debi and Tracie co-owner Flock and Rally, an events and communication company. They turned us on to Immaculate Conception. We covered the cost of this meal ourselves.

Hi there! I'm Laura. Come with me as I follow my passions: travel in the US and abroad, and exploring the latest happenings in the Carolina culinary scene with a eye towards Seasonal Food with a Regional Focus.

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